Lightning
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 02:34 PM |
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Quite fancy autograss, anywhere in/near Devon???
As above.
Looks like fun
Steve
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tonym
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 02:56 PM |
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South Somerset and Wessex Autograss are probably the nearest to you. For a full list of Clubs and venues look on the National Autograss Sport
Assosiation Ltd website.
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carpmart
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 04:29 PM |
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You need a very BIG wallet to be competitive in Autograss now. This seems to be the case in almost all classes!
You only live once - make the most of it!
Radical Clubsport, Kwaker motor
'94 MX5 MK1, 1.8
F10 M5 - 600bhp Daily Hack 
Range Rover Sport - Wife's Car
Mercedes A class - Son's Car
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StrikerChris
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 05:08 PM |
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As above,even class 1 is expensive and that's like watching paint dry after class 7 an 9,and to be competitive there you need 2 busa's
quaif 2 speed box,and serious shocks,20k berrisford type chassis!I know afew people who do it for a lot less,and out do expensive gear,but everyone
likes a chance to win,another cheap sport spoilt by the rich kids imho!atleast the entry fees only about £10 tho!
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jacko
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 05:58 PM |
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Did you see 5 gear last night ? it had [ the old Stig doing auto grass ]
I packed in doing Auto grass about 25years ago due to the price going though the roof 
People where paying like £26000 for engines in them days
Jacko
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NS Dev
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 07:23 PM |
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I won the east midlands championship in 2004 in a homebuilt class 9 (in my avatar) which cost me £600 to build plus the engine which I already had,
but which would set you back around £1800 (vauxhall XE, standard, on 48mm throttle bodies and MBE ECU)
Yep, at national events I was nowhere (mid field), but I could win at any local club meet (in 2004 I won every race I entered at my local club),
leicester, pennine, evesham etc etc.
Granted, the biggest limiting factor then was my gearbox, I built one F20 using F17 diesel gears but the tallest F20 diff, which got me an 86mph 2nd
gear, but then 2nd was too tall to launch in and 1st was too short. The std F20 2nd was spot on launching in 2nd but maxed out at 75mph which was not
enough on tracks like evesham where it sat on the limiter all the way round the oval!! )3rd was too tall before you ask!
At the time I helped Steve Walford (www.swmotorsport.tk) sort ratios for a custom 2 speed box, but for one reason or another itdragged on and on and
by the time he'd sorted the prototype I had comitted to changing to class 7 and a pair of aprilia vee twins................
Then I met my new girlfriend, now wife, then set up my business, and the bloody thing is still half finished in a container down here at work where
I'm typing this..............must get home and see if my missus is ok!!
Yep, as with any motorsport, its become too expensive, but then you can build a bloody quick car for little money, and I gurantee that even if you
come in last, you'll still be grinning from ear to ear through the mud!!!
Don't even consider one of the smaller capacity limited classes (perhaps except class 5) and don't even think about anything other than a
rwd class!!! I would say that class 9 or class 5 make good starting classes, you can be competitive in both for reasonable money relatively
speaking.
Yep, shocks are expensive, but not terrible, for the rears just ring milner offroad, tell em the lengths you need and they will sort you out a set of
remote reservoir Fox shocks, they are around £400 for a pair but they are rebuildable, and last forever. On the front a set of protech items on std
valving work fine and are cheap.
Don't buy a used chassis unless you've seen results, there's a lot of tat out there, and watch rule changes as some chassis will
need a lot of work to comply (steel floors adding etc! )
I have done track days, (including in a front running Caterham R400 race car) been out on track and on the road in a lot of Ultimas, done run what you
brung drag stuff (ok I have not raced properly on a circuit), rallies etc etc and NOTHING in my opinion, compares to the buzz of a perfectly drifted
autograss lap, following an 8 abreast start and battle for the first corner, firing dirt at 7 cars behind you which won't leave your mirrors!!!
It is totally different to tarmac stuff, you don't have the time to establish lines etc as they change every lap as the track condition changes,
and you get tapped around pretty much every lap by somebody, not too hard, but enough to keep you on your toes!!
anyway, I'm ranting on now so good luck and have fun!
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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jacko
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 09:55 PM |
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http://www.retrograsser.piczo.com/?cr=3
Have a look here there is a lot of people / mates on this site that i raced  and won 
And im sorry to say has passed away
[Edited on 16/12/10 by jacko]
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hillbillyracer
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| posted on 16/12/10 at 11:34 PM |
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As with any motorsport if all other things are equal the bloke with more money will win but it dosent have to cost a fortune, as motorsport goes
Autograss is near the top if you're looking for the most for your ££. Having fun & competing at club level need'nt cost the earth,
this is a sport where a combination of good driver & car builder can still beat the man with the man with money but less talent.
Go to a few meetings*, during the break you'll be able to wander round the pits & have a nose about a few cars & talk to a few folk.
If you're looking for fun with a production car then classes 3 (front engine/rwd some tuning limits), or 6 (fwd unlimited tuning) are what
I'd look at as it's cheaper to build a fast car when there are fewer limits on what you can do. It gets very expensive to build a
competetive engine when there are restrictions on capacity, induction method etc.
If I were going into it now I think I'd buy a car already in the sport & get a feel for the job, then sort the car to my liking or buy/build
something better once I'd found my feet.
Ask people how things are done, race procedure, when you should be where as it's kinda assumed that you know whay you're doing but once
you ask they'll tell you or send you to someone who does know! You'll likely be expected to muck in & help with a few jobs (setting
stuff up, putting stuff away, marshalling, scrutineering etc) once you've raced at a few meetings, the sport is cheap to enter because
it's run by the competitors themselves, their family & friends instead of employing folk who would need paid.
* Thinking you'll want to be ready to run for the start of the new season you wont get to see any race meetings, but there may well be social
meetings monthly through the winter where you can meet folk & get a bit of info.
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NS Dev
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| posted on 17/12/10 at 09:16 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by jacko
http://www.retrograsser.piczo.com/?cr=3
Have a look here there is a lot of people / mates on this site that i raced and won
And im sorry to say has passed away
[Edited on 16/12/10 by jacko]
ooh all the hairs have stood up on't back of me neck, just been on the "engines" page on that site!!!
If anybody wonders why one might race in autograss, a glance at that page tells you all you need to know.........
if only we could still run with no silencers
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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NS Dev
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| posted on 17/12/10 at 09:29 AM |
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You buggers you've got me all excited....wanna finish my car and race!!!! Can't afford it yet though!!
watch this for a taster of class 3...............one of the best drivers in the country, with vauxhall XE powered toyota starlet:
how to drive a class 3
PS the chap adjusting the camera at the start is paul exon who built the engine in it!
[Edited on 17/12/10 by NS Dev]
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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NS Dev
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| posted on 17/12/10 at 09:35 AM |
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this ones not bad either, a champ of champs club race, i.e. where the winner of each class on the day is on track, staggered all the way round,
fastest class at the back (i.e. around 1 lap behind), got to pass everybody to win!
class 8
wanna drive NOW
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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jacko
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| posted on 17/12/10 at 03:35 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
this ones not bad either, a champ of champs club race, i.e. where the winner of each class on the day is on track, staggered all the way round,
fastest class at the back (i.e. around 1 lap behind), got to pass everybody to win!
class 8
wanna drive NOW
DAM DAM you NS DEV OOOOO how i miss doing it
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